Wereling
by Koramin
Summary: Something resides inside a particular kunoichi; something dark, possessed, and hungry. To the elders she's a liability, something that must be eliminated.


I'm not really sure where this came from, nor is it probably that good. It just popped into my mind and would not go away...this is the result.

Standarn Disclaimer Applies

* * *

Prolouge

"Long ago, in a time before the villages and the rules that held our countries together, this land was savage and untamed. Ruled by no man or beast...Hey! Sit down you little rat and listen!" A vein twitched in the man's forehead. "Now, as I was saying before I was _rudely_ interrupted, we were once many small countries plagued by war and famine. Though not all those that participated in the war were human; actually they were all types of creatures. From dragons to griffons and from phoenixes to demons we fought every one of them for every inch of ground we could gain." The man paused for a second, hand rubbing his chin thoughtfully as if to decide where to go next. A paper wad flew across the room and he sighed in exasperation, knowing if he did not get a move on his class would explode into racket.

"Now all of these creatures are long gone and we will not be forced to fight them again, except for demons of course." The man scowled, eyes taking on a far off look for a second. He remembered the demon fox's attack on the Hidden Leaf as if it were yesterday, the screams of the wounded and dying and furious snarls of the demon itself. Looking over the group of academy students he knew full well that they knew about the tailed demons, but they did not know anything about their villages _other _adversaries.

"During these hard times we made other allies besides the usual humans. We, villages of the leaves, were good allies with the dragons, and decent ones with the centaurs and pixies." At that the students snickered as he expected. "You ever fought with one of those things? They were small, fast, and vicious. They were good at entering your body through your ear or other holes and would rip you apart from the inside out." He got the wanted reaction of green faces or flinches. "Where the land of Tea now sits were allies with Giants and griffins. The Land of Grass with Unicorns." The class had learned their lesson and kept quiet. "And Sound with Wyverns and Hurroks."

"But there was one creature that was never tamed. No village could gain, and if they tried they were wiped completely out, their bones nailed to the villages gates and words of warning written in their blood." Though he was not born, nor even thought of, during this time he'd seen sketches of the chaos. "Werelings were creatures of the night, with unbelievable animalistic powers that man never could, or ever will, understand. They enjoyed spilling blood, ripping out innards and eating them, causing pain in general. Sure they had the looks of humans at some points in their life, and they were completely fine and sane. But then the animal side shows, and that's when it all begins." Shouts erupted, most of them questions. He tried to answer them the best he could.

"Werelings were the equivalent of a were-animal. Examples would be werecats, werebears, and werewolves. None of them could be tamed or understood for that matter." Another question sounded and he knew it was one he could answer, seeing as there was little humans knew about the werelings. "How are Werelings created? Well, they were born being a wereling. Mother and Father are both a wereling and have a baby. But they do not show the tendency of being one until they reach the age of about eighteen, then they show signs such as the ability to work much longer at harder jobs, violent mood swings, not listening to authority where they would have before. But the main key is stress. It will break down the mental barrier between the human host of and wereling, letting the animal emerge and take control." In a way the ninja teacher was glad the students were taking interest in the history subject, he just wished it was in something that was not so dangerous and, in truth, rare.

"I heard another question that I always think is interesting. Which wereling is the most dangerous? Well, they are all extremely dangerous, seeing as any gen-jutsu and such has no effect on them. Werecats are silent and know how to stalk through the blackest darkness. Werebears are massive, able to smash a human's skull with one small swing of its paw. werefoxes are tricky and cunning. But our main adversary and the most feared would be the werewolf. Some disagree, saying others are due to their size or smartness, but a werewolf is the most vicious and aggressive. They are almost as powerful as the werebear, just as slick through the dark as the werecat, and just as sly as the werefox. They also run in packs, making them that much more powerful." Pausing he glanced at the clock. Not much time left, perhaps just enough for one more question.

"Are there any werelings left today? Well, only a hand full. We, as ninja's, are allowed to hunt them if we are powerful enough and if we see one. We might go through five or six generations of ninja and never once hear of one." The loud clanged of a bell sent the student scurrying home.

Part One

The hospital was buzzing with activity, people bustling around getting checkups, going to see injured family or friends, or going to get treated for a ailment themselves. The hallways were crammed to their brink, the clacking of heels or scrapping of rolling beds made hearing almost impossible, more less the chatting of the many occupants. Traveling was almost impossible, and a pink haired nurse shoved people aside left and right while shouting at them to get the hell out of her way. White lab coat swirling out behind her looking like grotesque wings, Sakura Haruno suddenly wished she had taken the day off like her mentor, Tsunade, had suggested. She was beyond exhausted, and her chakra supply was dangerously low. For over eleven hours she had worked non-stop, either saving lives or giving medical advice where needed.

Finally making it to her destination, a small surgery room, the medic slammed open the door and grabbed the file from the bin hanging on the wall that explained her patients past medical history and what was wrong with them now. Looking up with a slight scowl, she did not have to read what was in the folder to know why_ this _certain patient had visited her work place today. His stomach had literally been ripped open, crude bandages used to hold him together while he was transported to the hospital had also been cut open, revealing the nasty wounds. A jounin vest, bloodied and torn, lay on a chair that stood beside the window, notifying the man she'd be saving as a ninja. She shook her head, not even wanting to know what, or who, had caused the wounds.

Placing her hands gently against the wound, she willed what little chakra she could conjure up to enter the man's torn flesh and mend it. Slowly the gaping hole closed and the painful groans of her patient subsided, leaving the room quiet except for Sakura's labored, and the man's ragged, breath. Head spinning, world tipping oddly to the left Sakura placed one bloodied hand on her forehead to stave off a fainting spell. _Odd, I've worked this hard before and not felt like this_. She thought, placing the file back where it was supposed to go and quickly cleaning up the work area. Twice she grabbed onto something to stable herself as a wave of dizziness threatened her balance, glad no other nurses were there to witness her sudden weakness. The patient, whose name she could not remember at the moment, was soundly asleep.

Walking to her office, which was mercifully close, Sakura made sure to keep herself at least slightly concealed from any of her co-workers. She did not want, nor need, any of them to come and ask her to perform a complicated surgery that they _could_ do if they tried hard enough. _Lazy ass people_. She thought furiously, sitting down in her chair with a tired groan. _No offense Shikamaru._ Leaning her head back, slightly mused pink hair falling behind her, the medic nin prayed the dizziness and nausea that had suddenly gripped her would pass by soon enough.

The fact that she was now feeling so sick did not help the black mood she had been in for almost three months straight. Her friends had noticed her sudden change in behavior; from a sweet, caring girl to a quiet, drawn back woman. She knew they were worried, but she could not help the fact that she felt so helpless and useless. First her crush had left, leaving her unconscious on a bench and was now MIA after apparently completing his goal of killing his brother. She did not know the facts, nor did she want to. To her, the Uchiha was pretty much dead to her after so many years. Not long after Naruto went off to train with the pervert Jiraiya leaving her completely alone. That was fine with her, to a point, because she knew he was doing what he believed best and agreed with him.

Things had become a little more bearable when Tsunade had agreed to train her though, putting the pink haired kunoichi through rigorous training sessions and forcing her to hone her skills until she became as accomplished as her mentor in the arts of healing and precise chakra control. Then not three months ago her parents, both civilians, were murdered in their own home for reasons that had never been clear. It left her in a dark pit of despair, and the only way she could deal with her loss and pain was by putting her mind to work on something else. Namely working herself to the bone at the hospital. More than once Tsunade had snarled at her when she walked in upon the kunoichi asleep on her desk, drained of chakra and completely exhausted.

Dragging herself out of her self pity, she started working on a bit of paper work that had to be done, trying to keep her eyes focused on the pages in front of her. Everything kept spinning uncontrollably, and her weak arms just could not seem to hold the pencil up and scrawl words down. Finally giving up, Sakura set the papers to the side and lay her aching head in her arms, closing her eyes for a second. That second turned into almost thirty minutes as she drifted off into an uncomfortable sleep, nausea never once letting up.

Heels clacking down the hallway with a presence that sent most people skittering out of her way, Tsunade the Hokage of the Leaf Village was clearly on a mission. She'd gained the knowledge that her student had once again ignored her orders to go home and was still in the building, _her_ building. Amber eyes slit in annoyance, not at being ignored because she damn well knew the hospital needed all the help it could get, but at the fact her prize student was killing herself slowly with all the work she was putting on herself. Slamming open the door to Sakura's office, the Hokage opened her mouth let lose a rant that would send even the most accomplished shinobi reeling, but stopped short with a scowl. _Well at least she's sleeping. _

Walking, or more stalking, over Tsunade leafed through the papers Sakura had moved aside to see how much had been done. She sighed and shook her head, noticing that over half had her students writing scrawled across them where it was needed. She placed them all in the crook of her arm and was about to walk out and give a nurse orders to send her home when a soft mumbled apology arose from the woman behind her. "Oh, I'm sorry Tsunade-sama." A slightly raspy voice sounded and the blonde turned around to glare at her pupil. "I did not know you were here." Yawning, Sakura smiled softly, though her mentor could tell it was forced, and stretched.

"I thought I told you to go home." She snapped, crossing her arms in a favorite position. But it was compromised by the papers so she did the best she could, only adding to her ire. Looking more closely at the other medic, Tsunade could not help but be slightly worried. Sakura was skinnier then she should be, with pale skin and dark rings under her eyes. She looked a mess. She was also slightly hunched over, which made Tsunade sure something was up. "I expect you to be out of this hospital in ten minutes, and if not you will be escorted and watched until you get some rest."

Blinking blearily Sakura tried to focus on her mentor but her eyes refused to cooperate, the image of her mother figure spinning and twisting around oddly. And was she more grey then colored? Shaking her head, listening to the question throw at her, the pink haired kunoichi realized that the pain form earlier was gone. Only the exhaustion remained, which is what she blamed the eye oddness on. "I'm just not feeling the best, Tsunade-sama. A bit flu-ish really." She stood up, trying to keep her balance as things swirled and spun wildly. "I think I will go home and rest. See you tomorrow." She nodded slightly before making her way to the hallway and then out the front door. She was forced to grasp the door frame for a second, fighting off a wave of nausea.

Watching as her student walked form the room, Tsuande's eyes brows shot up in confusion. Blinking at the other medic's back, the woman wondered if what she saw was real. Were her pupils _slit?_

That Night

A splitting headache woke Sakura from a restful sleep, forcing her to place her hand against her forehead to ward off a groan. She'd had headaches before due to stress but this was different, as if her skull was being split into little shards then burned to crisps. This time she could not hold in a moan of pain. Stumbling from her comfortable bed to the chill of the floor, her bare feet skidded across the carpet until she reached the connecting bathroom. The pounding in her skull never receded and she swore that if she was not low on chakra due to the multiple surgeries she'd performed at the hospital during her shift she'd eliminate it. And just for the satisfaction of revenge, give the stupid headache to the other nurses for not performing to their full capacity and forcing her to get the job done right.

Fumbling her hand across the walls to search for the light switch the kunoichi sighed as she met the small piece of plastic with her fingers. The blinding light made the pain in her head intensified ten-fold and she screamed dramatically, clutching the sides of her face with sweaty palms. She could have sworn she heard a small snarl somewhere, as if an angry animal was watching her, waiting for something. The thought was comforting, of being torn savagely by an animal to end the horrible pain in her temples. As soon as the growl started it was gone.

_Kami-sama! What's going on?_ She thought, crumpling to the floor with her back against the sink counter. The grinding behind her eyes could be described as someone taking nails and pounding them into the top of her head, splitting the bone and imbedding them into her fragile brain. The world started spinning and black spots danced across the pink haired woman's vision. _If this is the end, then I'm glad. The only thing I regret is not being here when Naruto drags that traitor's ass back_. Even through the pain she offered a tiny smile at that thought.

As if knowing her attention was somewhere else the growling began again, only this time is was louder, more pronounced. She suddenly realized that it was not physical growling, but instead was in her head. _I'm going crazy now, wonderful!_ She mused furiously, pulling strands of pink out of her hair. Her legs started scrapping against the ground in a futile attempt to get up, or perhaps to fight the oncoming enemy. She was not sure anymore. Closing her green eyes in an attempt to stay calm, the action only resulted in the snarling to intensify to a booming howl that shook every corner of her mind.

The howls turned into muddled words and she listened hard to hear what they were saying, hoping they would explain what was going on. "Kill…" The hair on the back of her neck prickled, but she refused to open her eyes, not wanting whatever was speaking to stop. She'd never heard anything so primitive, so evil, and if it was inside of her like she suspected it to be, then she wanted to know what _it_ was. "Slaughter and eat." A new spike of pain contorted her face and she reached up to press her hand to her forehead yet again. Something cool and sharp pricked the delicate skin of her cheek, and as she pulled her hand from her face the odd trickle of blood fell onto the clean tile of the floor.

Sakura blinked in confusion, wondering if the horrible pounding of her head had caused her ears to bleed. Or worse, if that voice in her head was actually some sort of genjustsu. No, something told her it was very different than anything the ninja's of the village could create. After all she'd never heard of anything like this, and she had gone though pretty much every book in the library. A weird tugging sensation ran through the tip of her fingers and she quickly found out what had caused the blood. Each finger was now equipped with two inches worth of black, sharp claws. A squeal of terror ripped through her throat and she tried to back away from it all but those claws, those '_things,'_ followed as if having a mind of their very own.

_What's going on? What's happening to me!_ An evil, vile laugh sounded from the interiors of her head, resonating from every corner of her being. "We will be one. Then we hunt, than we kill." The pain in her head came to a climax and she was forced to curl into a small, whimpering ball. _This is so pathetic of me; I hope no one walks in right now, not with me wailing of voices in my head and daggers on my fingers. I'm supposed to be the top medic at the hospital, not delusional!_ The pain, voices, and all around weirdness suddenly stopped, leaving her feeling empty and emotionally drained. Sitting up shakily, she glanced around. Looking at her hands though, she gasped. It could have been played off as stress, but with her fingernails still long and hooked the woman knew something was wrong.

"I need to see Tsunade, now." Scrambling to her bare feet, the pink haired medic was not expecting a new pain to send her to her knees. Sitting there panting, Sakura opened her mouth to wail when her back convulsed dramatically and the popping of bones resounded through the air. What she had though as scary with her physical pain and changes was nothing compared to her mental ones. Blackness covered everything and the howling and snarling of the creature became louder, speaking of killing and blood until her brain felt ready to implode or she stuck a kunai into her heart. It was telling her how it would kill her friends, starting with her best friend Ino, then go for her superiors because they were not worth her time, no, _**their**_time. Finally sweet blackness consumed her, but not before a picture entered her mind. It was in Team Sevens clearing, torn up and littered with blood. Three bodies, hardly recognizable, lay strewn around it. Her team, they were all still, dead. And herself, she was standing in the center, head up towards the sky and a grin on her face. Body stained in their blood.

Unbeknown to her, Sakura's body was changing, shifting into something evil and possessed. Backbone ripping from its place and elongated, pressed up against her skin till it looked like it would rip free. Her feet stretched into paws tipped with dagger like claws. Fingers twisted and broke until they were paws with unusually long toes and a pose-able thumb. Her back again stretched and the beginnings of a tail formed, growing and being incased in flesh and nerves. Her torso grew three times its normal size, buckling and bulging muscles grew in a gruesome manner and bones cracked and relocated themselves to fit her new dog like structure. Her face contorted, mouth lengthening into a prominent muzzle and eyes turning dark amber, almost blood red. Canine teeth the length of human fingers protruded from her newly formed muzzle. The last was fur, rippling and blossoming across her new body, a sleek jet black.

Finally the werewolf stood upon its hind legs, massive shoulders easily bypassing the average human height. A feral snarl ripped through her throat and fangs gnashed furiously at the air as if it were prey. But no, her prey was out there, out in the peaceful village once called her home_. Then again this was not her, the _wolf thought_, not by a long shot. It is __**us**__…me and her together._ The wolf's lips drew back away from her gums, revealing predator teeth in a grin. _We are one, and always will be._ Throwing its head back the werewolf howled in victory, finally free.

Crashing through the second story window, glass unable to penetrate her fur, the Sakura wolf landed with ease upon the ground, nose pointed skyward. Soft snuffling sounds could be heard as the prey scent reached her nostrils, making them flare in delight.

Morning light glistened through the window of the second story apartment, illuminating the owners pink hair. A groan slipped though the persons lips as she rolled onto her back, arms crossed behind her head. Sakura could not remember the last time she felt so good, energized and ready to get the day rolling. Yawning, she sat up and rubbed her eyes, getting rid of the sleeps that accumulated there during the night. Something though was off, wrong. How she knew she was not sure, instinct maybe from constantly being on watch as a ninja. Looking around the beige walled room, the medic tried to see if anything was out of place, indicating something had been there.

Everything was where she had put them, except for a spot of red on the right corner of the photo taken of team seven. Normally she would have smiled gently at the picture, remembering those good times before the raven haired traitor took off. But her main concern was that splotch, and as she approached the kunoichi took note of more spots in a small trail to the tiny wicker trash can sitting beside her desk. At the bottom stood a pool of a scarlet substance, surrounding the can and even leaking from small cracks between the wickers. Tiny hairs on the back of Sakura's neck stood on end.

Looking inside the once normal trash can a shill squeal broke form her throat and she stumbled backwards onto her bed, hand covering her mouth. Inside the small can sat a bloodied head, glazed over eyes wide with shock at whatever had killed him and ripped his neck apart. Bile rose in the woman's throat, and somehow she knew she had something to do with it, like a nagging in the back of her mind chanting 'nah nah!' It was then she took notice of her bed, and then herself, and she knew something had happened last night, something that would change her life.

The sheets had been thrown around helter skelter and the cloth was ripped in different places. Blood in the form of hand prints, and paw prints she mused worriedly, were scattered throughout. Herself? She was naked, hands covered in blood that was dried and flaking, other splotches decorated the rest of her flesh. Yet she had no wounds, so the blood was not hers. "Perhaps it's all yours?" She whispered to the head, voice high with panic. "What happened last night, what did I do?" Standing quickly, she paced back on forth between the small spaces of the room, trying to remember anything.

_I was working overtime at the hospital, came home and took a shower, then the headache…_ Recollection slammed through her memory like a raging bull, nearly sending her tumbling over.

_A man, much like the one's head in the trash, was standing defensively in front of his wife and two children, eyes wide with horror and terror. She attacked, feeling with satisfaction her fangs ripping through his flesh easily. Screams form the other three, loud and annoying. She would quiet them before she began her meal. All four killed, she not caring of it was men, women, children, or any combination of the three who her fangs gnashed into, as long as their life blood soaked her pelt and slid wonderfully down her throat. _

_The loud whipping if kunai's through the air, repulsed shouts of fear and anger from the ninja, and pain through her side. They would be next, next to feel her fury. They fought valiantly, giving their village a good name but they were not ready for the onslaught of the werewolf and fell under her might. A howl filled the air again, and her muzzle descended into the warm flesh of her prey. Twice more she fought ninja, but escaped into her home once more, no one seeing who was beneath that fur. At least she did not think anyone did._

Sakura looked up at her ceiling, tears streaming down her face and hands clutched nothing tightly.  
"It was me. I killed all those people. I ate them like some...some savage!" She wailed, falling to the floor and clutching he shoulders desperately. "Let it be dreams, a nightmare, please Kami-sama." She whispered, closing her eyes in a vain attempt to shut out her deeds. "I'm sorry, so sorry."

She was unsure how long she sat there, eyes closed and hands gripping her shoulders as if they were her only life support. Her world seemed to be crumbling around her. First her teammates traitorous acts, then Naruto following not long after, her parents deaths, and now this. She'd always pictured herself as the only truly innocent one left of Team Seven, the one who had outshone the murders she'd committed by saving lives. But this, this altercation of her mind changed everything. It was there, the wolf prowling in the back of her mind, waiting for her to become vulnerable again so it could leap from the shadows to sedate its ravenous hunger. It _would_ kill again, though Sakura did not know when.

Finally lifting her dull green eyes from her hands, the pink haired woman stood up and walked over to the can, a disgusted look crossing her face. Only his head was left, the rest of him inside the werewolf, inside of her. Bile rose from her throat and Sakura covered her mouth with one hand and grasped a handful of hair in the other. She had to get rid of it, a physical reminder to what she'd done; the crime she'd committed. _What's going to happen to me now?_ She asked herself, walking into the kitchen with the dismembered head held as far from her body as possible. _Will they know who'd killed those people, guess who it was?_

Wrapping the head carefully in a roll of paper towels Sakura then deposited it in the kitchen trash can, hoping no one would be curious as to what was in the blood soaked towels. About to go back to her room and brood about her fate, a sharp clack on the window above the sink caused her to squeak with surprise and whirl around. A falcon stood there, keen eyes watching her with an unintelligence that only animals could possess_. Was that what my eyes looked like? _She asked herself, walking over to let the bird in. _What they looked like when I was shredding those innocent people? _There was a small fold of paper tied to its leg, notifying it as a messenger bird. _Why would one be needed when I'm already in the village? Could they not send a freakin ninja to fetch me?_ Cursing, she grabbed the note and watched as the brown bird took off, envying its vague form of freedom.

Opening the folded piece of parchment, Sakura read the note twice to make sure what she'd read was correct. Sighing in bewilderment and sadness, the ninja threw the paper onto the soaked towels, watching with sick satisfaction as it turned from an off white to a blood red hue. Walking back to her room to dress, she let herself think of nothing more then the task at hand, not wanting her thoughts to run anymore wild then what they were already. Once dressed in a comfortable t-shirt and black ninja shorts Sakura headed out the front door, keeping herself well hidden in the shadows an her chakra concealed. The scratched words in the note shot through her mind.

_Come to my office immediately. And keep hidden, let no one see you. _

_-Tsunade_

Passing by a narrow road the kunoichi could hear the wails of grief and anger from a mob that stood outside a small apartment building. From what little she could see a second story window had been shattered, raining glass on the ground below. She flinched, knowing from the indistinct memories of the night before that this was her pick of a prey house because it was small and hardly maneuverable to anyone inside. She quickened her pace, head hanging low even though no one could see her. The walk to her teacher's office was one of the longest she'd experienced. Sure she'd ran to other countries and back, walked hard roads both figuratively and physically, but she did not know the end to this one. What would await her at the end.

Watching the door in front of her nervously, Sakura wondered if she really wanted to go in there, to succumb to her fate. Taking a deep breath the opened the office door without knocking and walked in, gently pressing the door back to its frame with a barely audible click. "You wished to see me?" She whispered, hair concealing her face as she looked at the floor. Looking at those wooden boards, she gasped as blood pooled up from the cracks, taking on the shape of the wolf, grinning carnivorously at her. Sakura jerked her head up, not surprised to see Tsunade watching her with caution, and something else? Glancing back at the floor there was no trace of the sticky red substance, and she blamed her fearful mind on the trick.

Tsunade cleared her throat, forcing her to look up at the older woman. Hands crossed in front of her face, cold amber eyes boring into her own dull jade ones, the Hokage stared at her as if she'd grown three heads. Then again she was not far off. Only she'd grown a muzzle, tail, and fur. "I knew something was wrong with you yesterday, that's the reason I sent you home. Had I known you were going to shift into a carnal _beast_ I'd have had you locked up for the night so we could watch you. Instead four ninja are dead along with a whole family of civilians." She reached into her desk and threw a manila envelope onto the top of it. In bold red letter the name of the family was there and underneath it 'murdered'. Sakura looked down, ashamed.

Opening her mouth to speak, no words emerged. Were there words for this type of thing? Saying sorry would not count, she did not know what she was doing nor would it bring those that were dead back. "They're going to kill you Sakura. The elders. They met this morning and no matter how much I begged them to give you another chance they refused. Said the wolf could never be tamed. Could not in the past, nor could it be now." Tsunade spoke, voice breaking slightly at the end. Looking into her mentors eyes Sakura could see fear, not of the wolf but what could, _would_, happen to her student, her daughter.

"Your sentence is to be carried out tonight in front of the entire village. Unfortunately most of the civilians and even some of the ninja that did not know you are calling for you blood. They say that Sakura is dead and only the wolf remains. ANBU groups are probably at your house now, looking for you to bring you in front of the elders so they can read out your sentence to you personally."

Getting up from her chair, the Hokage walked over to a nearby desk and reached inside, grabbing another folder and handing it to Sakura, who refused to look inside of it. She knew what it was; her death certificate. A piece of paper that told her day and time of death, and the causes. She did not want to know how everyone would picture her death, and instead gave Tsunade such a pained look that the other woman had to look away incase her façade of indifference broke. This was like her daughter, and she was being forced to get rid of her, destroy everything they had worked for!

Tsunade sat back down with a groan, placing the heel of her palms to her eyes. "There are only two options for you, death, or running away. That certificate gives you a new chance at life, a way for you to learn to control it without anyone knowing who you really are. You will be breaking all your bonds to this village to keep you, and us, alive." She met Sakura's eyes, not surprised to see pain and fear in them, making them darker than normal and glassy. She took the envelope from her student's trembling hands. "I'm so sorry." She looked at her hands, knowing that by technicalities she was killing her.

"How…how did everyone know it was me?" Sakura finally had the guts to whispered, voice broken. Tsunade itched to hug her close, to tell her everything would be alright. But then it would be that much harder to watch her walk away.

"At the hospital, something was wrong with your eyes, and apparently more than one person noticed. Then when the wolf attacked I went to check on you, hoping that you would be in your bed asleep like I told you. Instead there was ripped clothing and a broken window. The elders apparently had an idea as well because they showed up at your house as well, demanding to know what I knew." Her voice was strong. "After the mess was cleaned up we held the meeting and they demanded your head. And that's what they'll get if you do not leave." Sakura could not understand how this could happen. Why to her out of everyone? Where did the wolf come from, why was it torturing her? About to ask, voices propelled up the hallway and Tsunade stood up quickly, ushering the pink haired girl towards the window.

She opened the glass and looked out into the sky, hands gripping the panel harshly. "Go now, hurry!" She ushered as Sakura out the window where she landed with ease on a ledge below. She looked up towards her mentor, fear of the unknown making her heart thunder. "Be safe, and for the love of Kami-sama, don't come back!" She met Tsuande's eyes once more before her head disappeared into the room and the window slammed shut. The sound was resounding and Sakura felt as if everything she had lived for was shut out as well. Wanting to curl up against herself the former kunoichi bolted towards the main gates, not wanting to risk going back to her house.

She stopped at 'the bench,' and ran a hand over its smooth surface; she grimaced. _I'm no better than 'him' now. _She mused bitterly, looking towards the gate with an abrupt flash of hostility. A sudden surge of anger, so strong her body shook, she cursed everything that had happened, everyone who had hurt and betray her. She no longer belonged anywhere, could trust anyone, was _wanted dead _by those she had healed and protected. The wolf surged up through her because of her emotional weakness and this time she relished the darkness it brought. As her body convulsed and changed, Sakura hid in the bleakness of her inner mind, not wanting to return to the cruel, heartless world. She would let the wolf rule, as so many others before her had done, and let it kill and harm as many as it wanted. She no longer cared.

The wolf looked up towards the sky, lips curling up in a grin. It was in control now, and it would do as it pleased without its human half interrupting. That half, the side it loathed because of its sheer weakness, had no power anymore, did not want to power to think or feel. A howl ripped through her throat, dark and menacing. Muscles bunching the wolf sprang towards the forest beyond with no destination in mind. All it wanted was to hunt, to sleep, and just enjoy it's self in the simple pleasures of shredding its prey.

A streak of blonde leap through the forest, a wide smile blooming on his face as the gates of his home village came into view. Naruto landed on a tree just beyond the view of the village to wait for his companion to land beside of him, eyes wide at the sight before him. He forgot how much he missed the village, his friends and the two members of Team Seven he'd left behind. "Come on teme!" He shouted at the 'traitor turned good' who walked easily from the shadows, black eyes' scanning the walls just as his friend was. He was not exactly happy to be back, hell he was not ever happy, but at least it was a place to return to when he wanted to re-group. About to start towards the gates, Naruto grinning widely still, a sudden ecstatic howl tore through the air making the two males flesh crawl. "What the hell?" Sasuke muttered, reaching for his katana.

A massive shape with off black fur exploded from the trees, maw opened slightly in a wolfish grin. The two took a defensive stance, weapons ready and eyes widened with surprise and fascination. The wolf made a deep sound, which they realized was laughter; as if it knew something they did not, before turning tail and heading north, paws skimming over the ground with ease. They swore later that the giant wolf stopped, turned is massive head over its furry shoulder and sneered before disappearing as if an illusion.

* * *

I'm thinking of creating a second half to this, but it will involve characters of my own creation for the stories purpose. Some like this and some don't. I'd like to know your input on whether I should leave this as just a one-shot or continue.


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